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About The Book

In Why Forgive?Arnold avoids glib pronouncements by letting the untidy experiences of ordinary people speak for themselves – people who have earned the right to talk about overcoming hurt, and about the peace of mind they have found in doing so. "Hurt" is an understatement, actually, for these stories deal with the harrowing effects of violent crime, betrayal, abuse, bigotry, gang warfare, and genocide. But Why Forgive? examines life's more mundane battle scars as well: the wounds caused by backbiting, gossip, strained family ties, marriages gone cold and tensions in the workplace. As in life, not every story has a happy ending – a fact Arnold refuses to skirt. The book also addresses the difficulty of forgiving oneself, the futility of blaming God, and the turmoil of those who simply cannot forgive, even though they try.

Twelve years ago, Why Forgive? appeared in bookstores under the title "Seventy Times Seven" – a reference to Jesus’s advice on how many times we should be ready to forgive in one day. Today, translated into more than 20 languages, this modest but compelling volume of true stories has been reprinted hundreds of times, and sold or distributed to audiences around the world.